Strand 3: Formative Assessment for
Teachers Educator Module 10, Activity 2
Defining the Formative Assessment
Process
Formative assessment is a process through which teachers and students integrate in-the-
moment evidence of learning into daily classroom teaching and learning. This definition is well-
documented in research and international policy documents, and there are numerous
published definitions. WestEd has adopted Bell and Cowie’s (2001) definition of formative
assessment which states, “Formative assessment is the process used by teachers and students
to notice, recognize, and respond to student learning in order to enhance that learning, during
the learning.”
In the text below the Cowie and Bell definition is unpacked, phrase by phrase:
The process…
For many people, the word assessment conjures the image of a test. Formative assessment, in
contrast, is a process that involves the use of multiple practices through which teachers and
students elicit and use evidence to advance learning. WestEd conceptualizes the formative
assessment process using the Feedback Loop graphic, shown below, which outlines a three-
stage process that includes five core practices teachers and students use during formative
assessment implementation.
…used by teachers and students…
The result of formative assessment is that students and teachers, working together, develop
new ways for students to self-regulate and monitor their learning. This practice is extremely
difficult (if not impossible) to develop in a traditional classroom environment, in which the
teacher’s role is to instruct students, and the student’s role is to receive information. In such
classrooms, where knowledge authority is in the hands of teachers, teachers “decide” what
students will know and how it will be measured. This vertical relationship privileges teacher
expertise and places students in a compliant stance, dependent on the teacher for their
learning to be “right or wrong.” For formative assessment to reach the goal of student self-
regulation, this traditional hierarchical model, in which teachers are “responsible” for delivering
instruction, is redefined. In formative assessment, students and teachers work together to
review and make meaning of current evidence. This requires a new kind of partnership among
students and teachers. In formative assessment, learning is explored, and feedback is provided
by peers, by the teacher, and students themselves. The formative assessment practices
outlined in the Feedback Loop guide the process through which this partnership takes shape.
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Strand 3: Formative Assessment for Teachers
Educator Module 10, Activity 10.2
Image 1: WestEd’s Formative Assessment Feedback Loop
…to notice, recognize, and respond to student learning…
One of the most important instructional shifts in formative assessment is for teachers to notice
learning as it is emerging. Not to notice if students are on task, or if they are timely in their
submissions, or if their behavior is acceptable – but to notice learning. In formative assessment,
teacher observation is focused on noticing how students show evidence of emerging
understanding. Teachers look for students’ partial or not-yet-fully formed ideas as the basis for
being able to effectively respond to learning. Noticing and responding to evidence is rooted in
teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, meaning what they know about developing
understanding in that domain.
In formative assessment, students also learn to notice, recognize, and respond to how learning
is developing during a lesson. Once learning is noticed, a teacher, a peer, or the student him or
herself can respond by offering guidance and support that helps others take next steps. To
notice, recognize, and respond to learning, students and teachers share an understanding of
the qualities they will see as learning develops. This shared understanding of how students will
demonstrate their learning takes shape during daily lessons through students and teachers co-
constructing success criteria.
Formative assessment hinges on teachers and students being able to notice learning in order to
quickly and effectively respond. Strategies for responding move away from traditional
dichotomies of learning, such as right/wrong, expert/novice, or “mastery learning.” Rather,
teachers and students learn to explore learning as it emerges, looking for ideas that show
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Strand 3: Formative Assessment for Teachers
Educator Module 10, Activity 10.2
students’ emerging understandings as they are developing. Teacher feedback shifts from fixing
errors to providing hints, clues, prompts, or questions that nudge learning along, and help
students see progress as their ideas take shape and they move towards meeting the lesson
Learning Goal(s).
…in order to enhance that learning…
All elements of the formative assessment process are designed to enhance learning. Learning is
enhanced by the use of daily learning goals and success criteria, which, when shared and or
developed with students, helps them internalize what successful learning will look like. Learning
is enhanced through the shared analysis of evidence, the use of in-the-moment feedback from
peers and the teacher, and through student self-assessment. Learning is enhanced when
students learn practices that help them monitor and support their own learning and learn from
peers. Ultimately, learning is enhanced as students gain confidence in their own capabilities as
learners and manage their own learning.
…during the learning.
In many schools within the United States assessment happens when the learning is done and
comes in the form of a score or a grade. When assessment information is shared after the
learning, particularly when it comes in the form of a grade, students generally do not use that
information to guide next steps in their own learning. Formative assessment shifts this dynamic
by designing lessons that allow for evidence to be elicited and used when it is most effective,
which is during the learning.
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